It was a tough loss for the Ida B. Wells Guardians on Tuesday, Nov. 1, at their game against the Jesuit Crusaders. Ranked 16th in the state, the men’s varsity soccer team played the 1st ranked team in the second round of the OSAA 6A men’s soccer playoffs. The score was 2-1 at full time, ending the season for our men’s soccer team here at IBW.

The Guardians played very strong in the first half. Our defense was especially powerful, with the keeper, Mattias Junker, junior, consistently stopping Jesuit’s offense in tight situations. 

A beautiful cross from Evan Motsko, junior, to Jaden Igarta, junior, in the 31st minute put the Guardians into a great goal-scoring opportunity. Igarta sent a perfect touch right under the keeper’s reach, giving the Guardians a lead at the half.

In the second half, the Guardians were unable to protect their goal, conceding two goals in the 54th and 63rd minutes. Again, our defense was strong, but Jesuit’s offense was stronger. They were able to score off of a free kick awarded right next to the 18-yard box, sending a well-placed cross straight to one of the Crusaders, bringing the score to a 1-1 draw. Jesuit’s game-winning goal was scored shortly after, giving Jesuit a one goal lead and making the score 2-1. The game was noticeably heated, as the Crusaders were given 3 yellow cards in the second half.

Throughout the game, the Guardians were unable to capitalize on set pieces, especially corner kicks and free kicks. Jesuit has the strongest team in the entire state, so it’s expected that the game would be extremely close. With that in mind, I’d argue that the Guardians played very well, especially in the first half. 

The varsity men’s soccer team finished with a 5-1-1 record in the PIL, putting them in second place. They scored 27 goals throughout the season and allowed 18. They were ranked 16th out of 48 in the state prior to the playoffs. 

Overall, the Guardians fought hard. The game was very close, and they came close to taking the lead back many times. It’ll be exciting to see them play again next year; maybe they’ll end up going even further. If you’d like to watch the game, you can find a copy of the livestream here.